Hated
by StormWolfSpirit
Summary: deadbeat Raphael gets a letter from his son, that changes his current lifestyle...RR! please


((This was inspired by a song I heard on my friends punk mix CD....so I repeat these lyrics do not belong to me....enjoy! oh and just to make it easier the { or } indicates what the letter says!))  
  
Raphael stared down at the crumpled piece of paper in his hand, he tipped back his bottle taking a long swig of the beer. He had gotten the letter a week ago, it had taken him that long to finally read it, he pulled it up close to his face, some of the blue ink was smeared with the tears of the writer. He put his bottle down and focused his eye's on the paper so he could read it better.  
  
{Hated, I'm writing to you, not tell you I hate you this time, just to ask you how you feel, and to ask you how did we fall apart...how did this fall apart?Are you happy out there in this great wide world, it must be heaven for a man like you, no wife or kids to tie you down. Do you ever think about you son's, do you miss your little girl? When you lay your head down, how do you sleep at night? Do you even know if were alright?}  
  
Raphael drifted back to three years ago, when all the trouble had first started. The pretty little girl, Karra, he had met at the karaoke bar so long ago was now his wife of five years, (and it would have been much longer if the states would have allowed mutants marriage rights ) and they had three children together two son's ages eleven and twelve and a daughter who was at the tender age of eight at the time.The two sons had turned out looking like Raphael, while his daughter looked perfectly human, the eldest son was the only child that had not inherited his fathers temper. Karra had dropped her job as a waitress long ago to prusue her career in singing once Raphael had found a good job and their life was in a stable state, but when he was laid off the bills began to pile up, and Raphael fell into a deep depression. Karra knew that Raphael was an alcoholic, they had met at the bar, but he had never drank this much or stayed out for day's at a time like he had begun to do. Raphael got arrested numerous times for assult and various other charges, but Karra backed him one hundred percent, even when he was wrong. Despite all her effort, the marriage was beginning to slip away along with Raphael, until one night he packed his things and slipped away altogether.  
  
{Those days I spent so cold, so hungry, were full of hate for you...I was so angry that you had just up and left us like that. These scars run deep inside this tattooed body of mine, all these things I will take to my grave, but I'm ok....I'm still alive.}  
  
Raphael wasn't quite sure what had happened after he left, but he had received many a letter from Karra telling him they were living in an old rickety apartment because a little old lady had taken pity on them and let them stay free of charge, she told him how it was leaky and always cold....how food was getting hard to come by and she was afraid the children were going to starve. Of coarse the letters were wrote all in vain, because Raphael could only think straight when he was sober or close to it, which was very rare in that time.  
  
{it's been a long, long road without you by my side, where were you on all those nights that we cried, because we were cold and hungry, because we missed you. You broke my mothers heart, you broke your children for life, but we made it out....were okay now. I remember the days you were a hero in my eye's, or where those just long lost memories of mine. You were so strong, you protected us from everyone and everything back then. I was just writing to let you know I'm still alive.........I'm still alive. Signed, Hated}  
  
Raphael couldn't help the feeling he got, sober or not, when he thought of her. Good ol' Karra could always find her mate no matter where he resided, and she never ceased to put "I love you always" in bold black lettering at the bottom of every letter she sent him, her love was everlasting for Raphael because she knew him as a sweet, caring father and husband, not the foolish drunk he had become, she knew he was better than what he had become. Raphael had used his strength and skill to protect his family, all thoe years ago, no man ever looked at Karra the wrong way.....no human or mutant ever ridiculed his children aloud, but the one thing he could not protect his family from was himself, his lust for the bottle when times got tough.  
  
{p.s. sometimes I forget, but this time I'll admit, that I miss you.......I miss you!}  
  
Raphael eye's welled up with tears, it took so many letters for him to finally realize that he had lost everything the day he had walked out on his family. Raphael got up from his tabel and walked out of the bar leaving his bottle behind him, he flagged a cab down, and gave the man the adress on the envelope of the letter. Raphael walked up to the door of the little beat up apartment and knocked on the door. The door opened and a young girl appeared before him, she stared at him for a minute wide eyed "Daddy?" Raphael bent to one knee and caught the overjoyed girl in his arms "Kyla, baby are your brothers and mother home?" Kyla nodded and pulled Raphael in by his hand. "Daddy's home, daddy's home!" she yelled.  
  
"Kyla....what did mommie tell you about little white lies?" Karra appeared from the kitchen drying a plate her back to Raphael "Hello, Karra." In her surprise, Karra dropped the plate letting it shatter at her feet "Raphael?" she spun around to meet him "Is it really you...are you home to stay?" Raphael nodded "I've finally found myself...in a letter that was sent to me." he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek "Where is Terran?" she smiled faintly "He's in his room down the hall!" Raphael cluched the note in his hands and entered the room "Terran, I got your letter." 


End file.
